U.S. State Dept. Invites Muslim Leaders, Denies Christians

"After the [Christian governor] told them [U.S. authorities] that they were ignoring the 12 Shariah states who (sic) institutionalized persecution ... he suddenly developed visa problems. ... The question remains -- why is the U.S. downplaying or denying the attacks against Christians?" — Emmanuel Ogebe, Nigerian human rights lawyer based in Washington D.C.

"In the same week that the State Dept says it will take the engagement of religious leaders seriously ... it refuses a visa to a persecuted Christian nun who has fled ISIS, Sister Diana." — Chris Seiple, President, Institute for Global Engagement.

Late on the evening of May 8, Newsmax TV announced that pressure from Americans acquainted with Sister Diana Momeka's visa rejection has just caused the State Department to reverse its decision and permit her entry into the United States. Until then, however, she and others were barred

After inviting a number of foreign religious leaders, mostly Muslim, the U.S. State Department, for the second time in a row, denied the sole Christian representative a visa -- despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that Christians are the ones being persecuted by Muslims.

Sister Diana, an influential Iraqi Christian leader and spokeswoman who was scheduled to visit the U.S. to advocate for persecuted Christians in the Mideast, earlier this month was denied a visa by the U.S. State Department, even though she had visited the U.S. before, most recently in 2012.

Sister Diana was to be one of a delegation of religious leaders from Iraq -- including Shia and Yazidi -- to visit Washington, D.C., to describe the situation of their people. Every single religious leader from this delegation was granted a visa -- except for the only Christian representative, Sister Diana.

Similarly, in March 2014, after the United States Institute for Peace (USIP) brought together the governors of Nigeria's mostly Muslim northern states for a conference in the U.S., the State Department had also blocked the visa of the region's only Christian governor, Jonah David Jang, an ordained minister, citing "administrative" problems. The USIP confirmed that all 19 northern governors were invited, but the organization did not respond to requests for comments on why they would hold talks without the region's only Christian governor.

The U.S. insists that Muslims are the primary victims of Boko Haram. It also claims that Christians discriminate against Muslims in Plateau, which is one of the few Christian majority states in the north. After the [Christian governor] told them [U.S. authorities] that they were ignoring the 12 Shariah states who (sic) institutionalized persecution ... he suddenly developed visa problems. ... The question remains -- why is the U.S. downplaying or denying the attacks against Christians?

Regarding Sister Diana, determined Christian and human rights activists in the U.S. called on the State Department to reverse its decision. According to Johnnie Moore, an activist who met her in Iraq: "Sister Momeka is a gift to the world and a humanitarian whose work reminded me -- when I met her in Iraq -- of Mother Teresa. It is incomprehensible to me that the State Department would not be inviting Momeka on an official visit to the United States, as opposed to barring her from entry."

The Iraqi Christian nun, Sister Diana Momeka (left), this month received a visa to visit the U.S. as part of a delegation of foreign religious leaders. The State Dept. had originally denied her visa request, only allowing in non-Christian delegates. Last year, the United States Institute for Peace invited to the U.S. the Muslim governors of Nigeria's northern states, but the sole Christian governor, Plateau State Gov. Jonah David Jang (right), was denied a visa.

Chris Seiple, President of the Institute for Global Engagement, wrote in a post, "In the same week that the State Dept says it will take the engagement of religious leaders seriously (as announced in its quadrennial review two days ago), it refuses a visa to a persecuted Christian nun who has fled ISIS, Sister Diana."

Similarly, discussing the nun's visa denial, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said: "This is an administration which never seems to find a good enough excuse to help Christians, but always finds an excuse to apologize for terrorists ... I hope that as it gets attention that Secretary [of State John] Kerry will reverse it. If he doesn't, Congress has to investigate, and the person who made this decision ought to be fired."

In an interview on Newsmax TV with host J.D. Hayworth, Johnnie Moore credited Newsmax TV viewers with helping to put enormous pressure on the Obama administration to allow Sister Diana Momeka to come to Washington to talk about the persecution of Christians in her war-torn nation: "It worked -- people raised their voices. They wrote their congressmen and senators, they put pressure on everybody, everywhere. ... She has been approved. ... It's exhibit A of what happens when people in this country start raising their voices."

But Ogebe's question remains: Why is the U.S. downplaying or denying attacks against Christians?

Comment on this item

10 Reader Comments

Hanna • May 18, 2015 at 08:06

Discrimination against Christians (or Jews) by The State Department and "APOLOGIZING FOR TERRORISTS" is nothing new. When was the last time this administration has protested against the daily beheadings of thousands of Christians in the Middle East? The only reason there are no beheadings of Jews is that ALL JEWS were expelled from every country in the Middle East in 1948, except from Israel, of course. It is shameful that a country that was founded BY CHRISTIANS is discriminating AGAINST CHRISTIANS.

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KINGSLEY DAFE • May 10, 2015 at 15:06

We must do something about this ugly trend, unite in face of danger.

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Russell • May 10, 2015 at 13:29

Freedom is as good as gone under Obama folks, freedom of speech, freedom of religion. Constitution violated, enemies armed, allies betrayed, babies aborted, gay marriage condoned, Christians persecuted for not baking cakes. THE AMERICAN DREAM.

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Aron Simis • May 10, 2015 at 10:21

The US Government is not doing anything surprising by not defending molested Christians in other countries. It comes as no surprise at all when even the Head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, is not doing anything either to protect those persecuted Christians, not even a public statement protesting those criminal acts.

These days, don't you ever get surprised about the atrocities committed by certain Islamic groups. Or do you just get used to it, since nobody will raise a finger or a tongue against them, much less most of the world leaders.

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Amy Lambert • May 10, 2015 at 09:56

After Geller's show was attacked by radical jihadists in Texas, she said neither the FBI nor Homeland Security contacted her about protection. She has a fatwa on her head.

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Fred • May 10, 2015 at 08:57

The Obama administration has shown its policies favour Muslim above anybody else, as your article shows. It has become a rarity to see or hear in the media or out of the White House any concern about the ongoing persecution against Christians in the Middle East or elsewhere.Obama is leading the charge and change of language which denigrates the Christians & Jews by denying the existence of extreme Islamism. Verily he has put on blinkers and see only good law abiding Muslims but disregards the extremists as naughty boys.

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geo9 • May 10, 2015 at 08:48

Can clearly be understood by reading the series of articles here at Gatestone by Clare Lopez especially the last one outlining the Muslim Brotherhood's penetration of the current White House.The article should be required reading of anybody who has an interest in the survival of the West as a zone of liberty and freedom of expression!

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Carl geo9 • May 12, 2015 at 09:24

The Islamists are smarter than the ones of the past. This time they have infiltrated every phase of our government from the top on down. I doubt if the next administration will be able to reverse it.

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Hanna • May 10, 2015 at 07:22

Discrimination against Christians (or Jews) in The State Department and "APOLOGIZING FOR TERRORISTS" is nothing new. When was the last time this administration has protested against the daily beheadings of thousands of Christians in the Middle East? The only reason there are no beheadings of Jews is that ALL JEWS were expelled from the entire Middle East in 1948. It is shameful that a country that was founded BY CHRISTIANS is discriminating AGAINST CHRISTIANS.

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FX MEANEY • May 10, 2015 at 07:00

With Obama as president, the U.S. favors Muslims, downplays or mischaracterizes the evil done in the name of Islam and does little or nothing to help persecuted Christians. Under its refugee program, it favors Muslims rather than persecuted Christians from the Middle East. What conclusion can we draw other than Obama showing his Muslim affinity, which is still affecting his behavior in this country.

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